By the time Louisville and Boston College kick off Saturday, 364 days and about 10 minutes will have passed since the two schools began their last football game.

It would have been hard to imagine one year ago how different these two teams would look.

A journey back in the time machine reveals a 4-2 Louisville team starring Lamar Jackson and returning home for what was supposed to be a comfortable victory. The Cardinals had just lost to NC State in a Thursday night road game, ruining their ACC title hopes and easing onto the road toward disappointment.

But they still had a high-octane offense, and they were better than Boston College. They were 17.5-point favorites.

Boston College was 2-4 and had not yet beaten a Power Five opponent. Freshman running back AJ Dillon had not started a game.

Since the morning of Oct. 14, 2017, though, Boston College is 9-4. Louisville is 6-7. The Eagles are 13-point favorites for the rematch Saturday.

Everything changed on one afternoon October 2017. Boston College stunned Louisville, 45-42, in what Bobby Petrino then called “about as tough a loss as I can remember being around.” Dillon had his coming-out party, with 39 carries for 272 yards and four touchdowns. He rushed for at least 149 yards in five of his last six games of the season.

The Cards faded further from the national picture. Jackson lost his second Heisman Trophy bid in large part because of team losses like that one. Then he left for the NFL, and Louisville began its search for a new quarterback.

Two years after Louisville demolished Boston College on the road, 52-7, the Eagles are the superior team. They bring back Dillon, though he’s questionable Saturday with an ankle injury. Quarterback Anthony Brown has 13 touchdown passes and just four interceptions. The defense starts two future pros at defensive end in Zach Allen and Wyatt Ray, and linebacker Connor Strachan is third in the ACC in tackles.

“They played really well against us last year,” Louisville coach Bobby Petrino said. “It was kind of their breakout game. The challenge with them is they have a really strong, physical running game, multiple tight end sets that they utilize, and they do it with a fast tempo.”

Boston College flustered Louisville with that up-tempo offense last season. It is faster this season. In coach Steve Addazio’s first four seasons, the Eagles never moved more quickly than one play every 28 seconds. Last year, they snapped the ball every 24.1 seconds. This year, they have sped up to every 22.2 seconds.

“We just got to stay focused, make sure we keep our eyes on the right man and try to keep it in our head that they are going to do tempo,” Louisville defensive end Tabarius Peterson said. “So just be ready for it at any moment.”

Louisville is 2-4, the same record the Eagles had when they paid their visit last October. The Cards have also not defeated a Power Five opponent. They rank 114th in the Football Bowl Subdivision in total offense, though they have improved in the past two weeks. They’re looking for their first win away from home.

Louisville remains 3-1 against Boston College since joining the ACC, but this year’s matchup is more daunting than any of the four before it.

“We had them when they was here last year,” Louisville safety Dee Smith said. “We just relaxed. We played relaxed, they came back, came out strong. They got the momentum, and we just couldn’t stop it. So this year, when we get the momentum, we can’t take our foot off of them.”